It was birthing season for the mallard ducks that live in the stream behind the condo. We occasionally would catch a glimpse of Mamma and her babies scurring along the stream. But we were really surprised when we saw some bigger babies in the parking lot outside of our favorite burger joint. Not...

I've been feeding the Mallards that live in the stream behind the condo complex in Utah. They only recently flew South for the winter—I miss them. Used a mood board from Joanne Brisebois. Thanks for looking.

Not only different birds daily, but also evidence of refuge management as we watched water levels closely. One morning a controlled burn had taken out the grasses where we had hoped to again see sandhill cranes we'd seen the day before. We'll go back because always unique photos.

Remember those tense minutes at sunrise when we didn't know the locked refuge gate was on a timer. Five hundred miles. We'd always been there early and driven on in. That sunrise brought a beautiful day. Our best first-day surprises were two deer and a pair of sandhill cranes.